Sunset

Before & after

Cooking with soul

What sets this Oakland kitchen apart from the run of the mill?

A touch of art By Leilani Marie Labong | photographs by jeffery cross

56 Sunset July 2011

before

“The old kitchen was lacking in the charm department, for sure,” Christina Zamora says of what came with this live-work loft in West Oakland, in a former elementary school from the 1920s. After a clever, very functional remodel, though, the kitchen for two artists (Christina is a designer at Heath Ceramics in Sausalito and her partner, Cathy Lo, works as an art director in San Francisco) has charm to spare. Collaborating with Jon Norton—a designer in Emeryville—the couple came up with a layout that worked for their creative lifestyle: the key addition being a new island. “The island isn’t a barrier between the kitchen and the studio—it’s just a part of the studio,” says Christina.

Design Jon Norton, Emeryville, CA >58

Disappearing Act “We wanted the kitchen to feel really integrated into the space,” says Christina.

The design does this in subtle ways: The concrete wall doubles as a backsplash; the new island “floats” in the open loft; and the color of the island’s white oak echoes the warm pine floorboards.

Cathy Lo (left) and Christina Zamora

Sunset July 2011

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Before & after

Why we love their kitchen

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1 island living A slab of white oak serves as the breakfast bar; on the far side, a sleek induction stove is set in a stainless steel surround. The drawers below the cooktop have cutout handles instead of pulls to let air cool the hot surface.

2 Material Gain The “wood” panels on the front of the island are actually recycled ceramic kiln shelves that Heath offers as part of its tile collection.

Christina cut the shelves to resemble pieces of lumber, then screen-printed beetles and lettering on them.

3 Hidden Motives Sometimes, when planning storage for a new kitchen, a little reverse psychology is in order. “Having closed cabinets would only give me permission to accumulate more objects!” says Christina.

4 Clean Slate Roomy cabinets hide appliances, while tea and coffee provisions are stored in a long, narrow built-in above the counter. Heath seconds—in this case, slightly wonky teacups from the Dosa collection—sit atop the slender case.

Design ideas for your perfect kitchen: sunset.com/kitchens 58 Sunset July 2011

To change background color (fill), with direct selection tool (hollow arrow) in layer palette to select “background shape” layer, then choose color from swatch palette.

To change mouse color, (fill) with direct selection tool use layer palette to select “compound shape” layer and shape layer, then choose color from swatch palette.

To change mouse tail (stroke), with direct selection tool use layer palette to select

5 The Great Wall The wall makes a dramatic (18 feet high!) backdrop. The concrete’s raw color and texture are echoed by the vintage Cosco barstools, which Cathy rescued from Berkeley’s Urban Ore salvage yard.

The rest of the loft is dominated by the making of art.

My father’s cleaver hangs with my other knives. He would use this cleaver for everything from butchery to brunoise.

It would even make an appearance at the holiday dinner table.

I have a dozen 60- to 70-year-old bamboo baskets that I’ve collected from flea markets and junk shops around Japan. They make it feel like an old Japanese farmhouse.

Elias Cairo, salumist-owner, Olympic Provisions, Portland

Sylvan Mishima Brackett, chef-owner, Peko-Peko Japanese Catering, Oakland

A kitchen is also a living space: People always gather there.

So why not give them a place to sit?

I’ve got a sofa in mine.

There is a painting of a tangle of garlic.

It’s in a worn walnut frame carved with daisies. You probably wouldn’t give it the time of day. But my father painted the garlic. His father grew the garlic. And the flowers were hand-carved for my grandmother Daisy.

Kevin West, canning guru and author, Savingtheseason.com, Los Angeles

Chris Bianco, chef-owner, Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix

The finishing touch

How food pros make their home kitchens feel like … home –interviews by Leilani marie labong

Imperfect teacups make good holders for air plants.

Jars filled with posole, pintos (of course), Anasazi beans, bolita beans, local quinoa, yellow and blue cornmeal, and best of all, a whole shelf of dried red chiles.

Our kitchen is where all the good stuff happens: dance parties, recipe successes, culinary failures, and, of course, pit bull trick training.

When I die, you might as well bury me under the floorboards.

Andrea Meyer, chef, the Love Apple, Taos, NM

Jessica battilana, editor, Tasting table, San francisco

The clock that used to hang in my mother’s kitchen.

It doesn’t even work anymore, but it always reminds me of our nightly family dinners.

Robert McCormick, executive chef, Montagna at the Little Nell, Aspen, CO

A late-’60s Chemex coffeemaker that was a gift from my father.

I consider it an art object, and I’m not alone––the Chemex is in the permanent collections at the Smithsonian and MOMA. Philip Anacker, cofounder, Flying Goat Coffee, Healdsburg, CA ■